光明皇后(こうみょうこうごう)Kōmyō Kōgō
聖武天皇(しょうむてんのう)の皇后。孝謙(こうけん)（称徳(しょうとく)）天皇の生母。藤原不比等(ふじわらのふひと)の女で、母は県犬養橘三千代(あがたのいぬかいのたちばなのみちよ)。名は安宿媛(あすかべひめ)、また光明子とも称する。皇太子時代の聖武天皇に嫁(か)し、天平元年（七二九）には皇族以外で初めて皇后に立った。興福寺の造営や五月一日経(ごがつついたちきょう)の写経、悲田院(ひでんいん)・施薬院(せやくいん)の設置など仏教信仰に基づく事業を多く行ったことで知られる。七〇一～七六〇
Empress Kōmyō
(701–760) Wife of Emperor Shōmu, Empress during his reign, mother of Empress Regnant Kōken (later Shōtoku), and daughter of the most powerful minister of the time, Fujiwara no Fuhito (659–720). Her childhood name was Fujiwara no Asukabehime. A devout Buddhist, Kōmyō was highly influential in the creation of the Great Buddha and the institution of Buddhism as the state religion, including the establishment of the state convent, Hokkeji Temple. She also founded institutions to help the needy such as the Seyakuin Clinic for dispensing medicine. Her donations to the Great Buddha after the death of Shōmu form the core of the Shōsō-in collection.